Both battling for a precious top-four finish, Serie A rivals Bologna and Juventus will go head to head at Stadio Dall’Ara on Sunday evening.
Should the Rossoblu win, they would overtake Juve in the table with just three games to go, overturning a slim one-point deficit before kickoff.
Match preview
With only four rounds left, the five teams chasing perhaps just a single Champions League spot were left within a three-point radius last week, when Juventus saw off rock-bottom Monza to move fourth.
Although Kenan Yildiz was dismissed for violent conduct late in the first half, a Juve side previously beaten by Parma already led through goals from Nico Gonzalez and Randal Kolo Muani, and they ultimately hung on to claim maximum points.
Since returning to Turin, interim coach Igor Tudor has overseen three wins, one loss and one draw, keeping the Bianconeri just in front of both Rome clubs, Fiorentina and this week’s hosts, Bologna.
Not only do Juventus require Champions League football for reasons of prestige, but financial meltdown may await if they fail to make Italy’s final top four, so they cannot afford to slip up at the Dall’Ara.
Now would be a perfect moment to post back-to-back wins for the first time since March, but Juve have only collected one point from their last three away games.
At least history will be firmly on their side, as they are unbeaten in some 25 Serie A matches against Bologna, winning 17 times along the way – and that streak dates back to February 2011.
In fact, Bologna’s last top-flight home win over Juventus was way back in 1998, having drawn seven and lost 14 meetings since.
Yet, the gap between the two clubs has been closing of late, with both sides sharing the spoils for four straight games – including a thrilling 2-2 draw in December.
After finishing fifth last season – then enough to qualify for the Champions League – Bologna are also threatening to supplant Juve in the all-important top four this term.
However, Vincenzo Italiano‘s men failed to leapfrog the Bianconeri by settling for a disappointing draw with Udinese on Monday: both teams struck the woodwork, but the game ended goalless.
Previously, they had beaten Inter Milan with a last-gasp winner, before booking a place in the upcoming Coppa Italia final, so there should still be some feel-good factor remaining.
A tough run-in will see the Rossoblu face Fiorentina in the Derby dell’Appennino, plus cup final rivals AC Milan – but first they must try to finally topple Juve, having come within seconds of doing so earlier this season.
Team News
Leading a long list of absentees for Sunday’s high-stakes contest, Juventus star Kenan Yildiz has been handed a two-match ban after his red card against Monza, so fit-again Francisco Conceicao could be drafted in.
Amid a defensive crisis, Pierre Kalulu and Renato Veiga are Igor Tudor’s only options at centre-back, as Lloyd Kelly and Federico Gatti have recently joined ACL victim Bremer on the sidelines.
So, captain Manuel Locatelli or the versatile Andrea Cambiaso could shift into Juve’s back three this weekend – if Italian media reports are to be believed, the latter could be nearing the end of his time in Turin.
Elsewhere, top scorer Dusan Vlahovic has returned to training and could be named on the bench; Teun Koopmeiners is still struggling with an Achilles problem and may miss out.
Bologna, meanwhile, hope to recall Nicolo Casale and Swiss winger Dan Ndoye, but right-back Emil Holm is still unavailable.
Head coach Vincenzo Italiano, who returns from a touchline ban, must again decide whether to start either Thijs Dallinga or Santiago Castro up front, while Riccardo Orsolini should feature wide on the right.
The latter – a product of Juve’s primavera – has scored two goals in his last three home games against the Bianconeri. Should he score again, or provide an assist, he would set a new personal best for Serie A goal involvements in one season (16).
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Calabria, Beukema, Lucumi, Miranda; Freuler, Aebischer; Orsolini, Odgaard, Cambiaghi; Dallinga
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Veiga, Cambiaso; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Weah; Gonzalez, Conceicao; Kolo Muani
We say: Bologna 1-0 Juventus
With a mere six league wins away from home this season, Juventus have not travelled well, so an injury-hit squad could suffer defeat at Dall’Ara.
For their part, Bologna are still buoyant, and they have little to lose but everything to gain in an incredibly close top-four race.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
